Electric Shock
by Eulalie
Summary: Do not stand here at my grave and cry; I am not there, I did not die." Ending of Illumination trilogy - sequals to Black Out/Power Surge.
1. Preface

Preface

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;  
I am not there. I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow.  
I am the diamond glints on snow.  
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.  
I am the gentle autumn rain.  
When you awaken in the morning's hush,  
I am the swift uplifting rush,  
of quiet birds in circled flight.  
I am the soft stars that shine at night.  
Do not stand here at my grave and cry;  
I am not there, I did not die."_  
-An Inscription of an English Gravestone _

_She_ was everywhere, everything. I could glance at the moon, the sun, and the stars to see her face. She had become apart of me as I had become apart of her. In her fists, she had clutched the very fiber of my mortality and scattered it like the ashes of her corpse across the spaces of the world. I was stretched and empty. In the ruby flow of blood, I now see my beloved's face; it glows luminescent behind my eyelids, the words of my muse breathing down my throat with sickening promise. I have weighed my options.

There is no longer a distinction between the cliched good and evil. I stand between them, in a world of gray, where my queens and kings have become jesters in a sport no other creature can sprint fast enough to win. Everything has come down upon my shoulders, and I square them without fear. My actions will reverberate for years to come and yet I stand in this diversity, lulled by spirits circling my empty chest. I will not fail.

Tonight, Isabella falls.


	2. Anthesphoria

**A/N: Fifty-seven years into the future, the immortals have been ousted and now have to live harmoniously with humanity. However, Jasper is the only one who sees how the seams of immortality aren't quite woven into mortals. Everything is a lie.  
Edward will not be a major character in this fic, which is the last of the Illumination Trilogy. Enjoy =D**

**NOTE: Anthesphoria is the name of an ancient festival given for Persephone **

Anthesphoria

"As she was gathering flowers with her playmates in a meadow, the earth opened and Pluto, god of the dead, appeared and carried her off to be his queen in the world below…."  
_-An account of Persephone's abduction_

Queen Isabella sat on a throne made of spun silver, her voluminous skirts lying limp around her. She changed – even the least observant would notice her cold, removed expression, the spawn of her still recent status of regality. At her arm, King Edward stood, looking queer and humane besides her, tawny-green eyes observing the fire pit in the middle of the room. His profile remained emotionless and untouched, like his queen, frozen in its Patrician sense of authority. However, his emotions were in flux, a flux only I could see, and feel, and taste.

Tendrils of smoke filled the room, smelling faintly of rosemary and ocean water. Patricia tended the flames with her "magic," building them to a height as unnatural as its albino color, the same hue as Alice's alabaster skin. Meanwhile, the dark Viatrix, Elesmeera's ex-high priestess, chanted solemnly in Latin, her voice slipping over constants and vowels with a slick tongue, as if to create a verbal dance. I was lulled by it, nonchalantly tapping fingers against my thigh in time to the satanic hymn.

I was told that Viatrix was praying for all those lost fifty-seven years ago in the Immortal War. She was negotiating with whichever satanic goddess whom overlooked the "Underworld" to soothe their souls and to give them a chance of reincarnation as well as damn all those who worked against our cause. It was, however, more likely that Bella enlisted Viatrix to "soothe" the elder sirens that looked down upon their new Queen as being naïve by keeping the old rituals very much alive in her reign. To keep face, she told all those who listened that the yearly ritual was to bring closure to those who lost loved ones and to remind all others what we had to give in order to gain.

It is such a failure and a pity. It doesn't bring me any closer to resurrecting Alice than I was fifty-seven years ago; neither could this ceremony remind me what has never been forgotten.

It's selfish of me to think solely of my own desires, of my own loss; but how could I possibly not? I lost the one think that had kept me into this world, the one person who bound me to Earth with her sanity and stability. She was my angel, _my_ goddess of light, who led me out of madness and desperation and into paradise. I have always wondered how long I'd be able to keep her tethered from God. Viatrix spoke about destiny, how each of the dead followed their path in order to rid the world of Elesmeera. It was Alice's destiny for Elesmeera to break the chains I worked diligently upon. I couldn't console myself with the fact my angel was where she belonged. I'm far too selfish.

The ritual ended with a collective exhale. Bella lifted her long skirts and stepped to the flame. She ran her fingers tenderly through the fire, extinguishing them with a mere internal wish. She flashed a well-coveted smile across the small group of important officials and her revered council before sweeping out of the large doors, arm locked in Edward's while Alec held her train.

The sadness that once held the now exiting group captive was promptly alleviated. They had turned their thoughts to the following midnight galas, which were another half of the mourning ceremonies; the celebration (personally, I thought it a ridiculous idea of Gabriel's to exercise Bella's superiority and wealth). I felt their anxiety and excitement barrel through me – I tried not to let their joy affect me, but the volumes of it caused a slow, tepid smirk to grace my face.

"Brother," Rosalie murmured, voice as solemn as her emotions. She was my sole confident, seeing as her no-nonsense attitude caused her to become as much of a pariah as I have. I read sympathy in her eyes before she could speak it and nodded, clenching her shoulder in response.

"Will we see you tonight?" Emmett asked hesitantly; he knew he was tiptoeing around eggshells. Carlisle shot him a blank glare, shaking his head as if slightly disappointed in his obvious denseness. They regard me with too much fragility. I am a mere conductor of other's emotions, collecting them and redirecting them; mine are too far underneath iron-constructed walls to actually be hurt by simplistic inquiries.

"I just might if I don't manage a conversation with my connections in Romania before the day ends."

"How is Romania going?" Esme asked, shooting his husband a quick look.

"It would have been better if you listened to my suggestion in placing Felix in charge of the mission rather than _Jacob_," I snarled, shooting Bella a hate filled glare to her shoulder blades. As if she felt my eyes upon her, she heightened her chin slightly in acknowledgment. More likely, she heard my thoughts.

"Felix is untrustworthy," Emmett said plainly. "He is too close to Marcus."

"I remember that clearly. I also remember that Marcus has done nothing nefarious against Isabella." I pinched the bridge of my nose and pulled away from them internally as well as externally; they see things too black and white.

"Why don't you relax?" Rosalie asked quietly, reaching out to me with her ocher eyes. For a moment, her belligerence slipped and I was staring into her soul, the sweetness she hid. "Demetri has been taking care of your office the last week to afford you time for yourself. You worry too much."

Bella glanced upon me then, a quick movement and a flash of her overpowering eyes. They were full of sadness. Her words in my head were quiet and nearly fooled me into thinking it was my own conscience speaking. _You should take her advice, Jasper. In fifty-seven years, the pain of Alice's death has not been alleviated, but has instead worn you. I know that you miss her._

I scowled, not sure if it was meant for Rosalie's caring or Bella's fear or Alice for leaving me. I ignored Bella's words in my head, flipping my hand rudely at the family in excusal to leave.

A mental sigh wafted through my head like a gentle breeze. _I've been trying to find a way, Jasper, I promised. You might not remember, but I loved her like a sister. _

_Save me the empty promises Bella,_ I shot back at her, curving my route towards the middle of the castle, which contained the garden I had taken on as a side project a couple months ago. Although I have never mentioned dedication, it was a wide known and approved idea that it was dedicated to Heidi. I let the rumor grow; I wasn't about to break their hearts by informing them all that I took on the project masochistically. I could tend freesia and roses and daffodils to life, but could not revive my wife.

Truth is a coveted prospect in Volterra because it is such a despised, overlooked, and greatly underestimated virtue. Truth could ruin Gabriel, could ruin Bella, could possibly ruin the fragile relationship between humans and immortals as quickly as it could heal the racism bred by fear and misunderstanding, which is why Marcus wraps himself in his cocoons of his truth outside of Volterra's walls, choosing only to reveal the fabrics with a select few. Truth is a double-edged sword that I wield Volterra on my lonesome. They give into facades too quickly; they are too blind and too happy swallowing the lies.

A light flickered at the end of the hallway; the doors were ajar, letting in rivets of Italian sunshine. In this polished, perfect castle, not one tile was left with a speck of dirt – not one eyebrow unsymmetrical to its mate. I was careful to follow this unspoken rule and closed the door to the garden each time I left, leaving the tiles scrupulously clean of the soil I might have accidentally tracked in. This meant there was an intruder – no soul besides mine or Bella's was allowed into my haven until I finished each exhibit.

"I did not mean to leave the door open," a smoky, feminine voice drawled; there was no apology in her deep notes. She was sitting on the marble bench I carved by hand across from one of the rose exhibits, ruby eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Her lips, like the roses she was glaring nonchalantly at, matched the hue of her crimson curls. "I am Cora."

"Ah," I said uninterested in what her name was, or where she came from. I opened my mouth to begin the riot act on coming into Isabella's off limits and personal wing of the Volterra land when she interrupted me.

"You are?"

"Jasper," I grunted in my masculinity. She murmured the name, rolling it around on her tongue as if to taste the word. She turned felinely onto her back, lolling her head off the bench, curls caressing the ground.

"A councilman." It wasn't a question, just a breath of noise as if trying to recall a certain memory.

"Yes, a councilman," I agreed with her, glad my diplomatic tendencies allowed a sense of calm. I wouldn't lose my temper on a rebellious fraction. "Perhaps you are new here-"

"I am," she interjected.

"_But_ you should have been briefed on what is acceptable and what is not by now. You are _not_ allowed into this wing of the castle nor my private areas."

She grinned. "I don't care."

I was careful to let my infuriation to remain a mere tenseness in my shoulders. My voice was conversational. "I believe you will care when you are arrested and on trial for suspicious intent, ignorance of common rule, and insolence against a superior. Now scat before I alert the guard we have yet another intruder on the anniversary of the war…they will not be sympathetic."

Her brows furrowed into a deep V as she considered it for a moment, but she was barely concerned. She stood in one fluid movement, like a raindrop meeting a river. A quick step brought us centimeters apart. Finally, she met my eyes as she spoke. "I don't care."

She exhaled and I tasted her honeyed breath. Her visage closer, I could see that her eyes weren't crimson, but more wine with all of the addiction but none of the sweetness. And despite her strangeness and the fact she was breaking several laws at once, I could sense no malice in her level gaze - simply friendly competition.

"You're defying my power," I said evenly.

"I'm exercising them," she said, placing a hand on my chest, fingers spreading like spider legs. I flicked her hand away like the mere bug, registering the exasperation that flitted temporarily across her eyes.

"What are your intentions?"

She said the words as if I should have known. "I seek protection from Councilman Jasper and am offering my allegiance."

I stiffened, straightening myself in my mock-nobility as if to tower over her. I was sorely disappointed when I realized we were nose to nose. "I seek no allegiance from a convict, Miss Cora, nor grant personal protection. I will happily escort you back to your dorm if you have lost your way, but I am not fending off whatever power you've angered."

Her lips inclined to my ear and she whispered, "What if I have something to offer you in return?"

"I am not interested in what's between your legs, siren," I spat, stepping away. "If you remain here after I leave, I am most certain you will be incarcerated."

The playfulness that once plagued her face melted. She stepped away, heels an enraged staccato on the cobblestones; she looked back over her shoulder to watch me watch her retreat. She brought her fingers to her lips, ran a finger across her teeth. I smelled it before I could actually see it - blood. It scented the air in its seductive floral-copper. It dripped down her slender wrist, staining her white shirt garnet. I was enthralled. My years of restraint kept me immobile, but didn't let the sick fantasies drift across my minds eye in rapid fire - of placing my lips to her throat.

She grinned when she saw my expression, but turned away. She dropped onto her haunches in front of a browning rose and fed the dying bloom her blood. For a moment, it lifted its head and bloomed, the tanned petals turning once more to its immaculate white color. Her face was full and gloating, her claret eyes sparkling.

"Reevaluate what I possess to offer you," she said archly before disappearing.

ELECTRIC SHOCK

**_Bella  
_**I ran my hands on Alice's dresses, trying desperately to caress each fabric as they slipped through my fingers like sand. The sounds were muffled yet comforting; the crinkle of tulle petticoats, crushed velvet and darling silk, sweet summer cotton…. My senses were trying desperately to find Alice in these beautiful remains, but it was hopeless; she was beyond me now, in a world I no longer am connected to.

I was failing Jasper, and I knew I would continue to fail. My naivety in promising him a way to resurrect Alice from mere memories is undeniably stupid and regrettable. However, I'm more saddened by the fact I'm failing his wife, my best friend. I've given Jasper too much space to drown. I hear his mind; I taste his guilt. The memory thrums violently in the back of his head, a motivation and a disparagement.

He masks it well. However, I'm not ignorant. I know what boils underneath. I see the masochism in his garden, the sadism in his diplomatic works, the way he regards himself as a realist when he's looking through goggles of self-pity and the selfishness he acknowledges but ignores.

I know why he moved his room farther away from the rest of us and into the dungeons, where it is forever dark and gloomy, where some cobwebs have developed if you a re observant to look. He occasionally experiments with the torture devices I have begged Gabriel to allow riddance of, because I would never resort to such medieval forms of justice. Either it's because Jasper is immortal, or because he is single-handedly attempting to operate machinery that requires two men, he never gets the results he seeks. It doesn't stop him from trying.

I glanced around his desolate room, feeling as if I was penetrating Jasper's inner sanctum. It left a film of guilt on my skin, an untouchable itch, but I shook it off glancing at the single self nailed into the wall. A small, silver frame overlooked Jasper's cold bed. It was of Alice. She was lounging, sparkling from the sunlight that peeked through the window. She was smiling madly, her one hand woven through her inky black hair, eyes dreamy and lidded as if they had just made love. The other hand was reaching out for the lover taking her photo, the rings on her fingers sparkling new. I knew that if I glanced over my shoulder, I would find the same lavender sheets stretched over the mattress, unwrinkled and pristine.

"Why are you here?" Jasper demanded. He was leaning in the doorway, his hair windswept – he had been running. He had a drink, I also noted from the pink tint in his cheeks and the lightness of his eyes.

I bit my lip. "I wanted to feel closer to her."

"I understand that," he said stoically, his face austere and empty like the room. Nevertheless, something flickered underneath, lighting him from the inside out. "Have you met a fraction named Cora?"

"Cora?" I questioned blankly, sitting down on Jasper's perfectly made bed. He winced as if I had slapped him. "You know that I no longer reside over the entrance ceremonies for the new guards; it has fallen to Emmett. He would know better than I."

His lips tightened, his eyes darkened. "I must have forgotten, but you reside over the lists of their gifts, yes? Has anything alarmed you as of late?"

I shook my head, eyes narrowing suspiciously. The ability to pluck the answers from his head like Eden's apple tempted me, yet I resisted. I would gain no closeness from him by simply ravaging his mind. "Jasper, what has occurred?"

"Nothing? _Nothing_ alarmed you?" he asked again, ignoring my questions. His voice was an octave higher in usual - he was frustrated, enthralled, confused...

I shifted through memories, trying to concentrate on the name, trying to view a visual. The name rang no bells. "I really don't remember a Cora or a surprising gift on the lists other than a vampire who can supposedly levitate islands with mere whim. But why have you taken an interest on her?" A flutter began in my throat; was Jasper suddenly interested in another woman?

"Don't get your hopes up," he scowled at me, using his gift to read through my emotions easily. "Cora is nothing more than an annoyance to me, and there is certainly no romanticism in that."

"However she incites more passion in you than I have seen for years," I argued. "What is it about her? Has she wronged you somehow?"

"She was an insolent bitch," he finally answered. He turned promptly on his heel and stalked out of the door, leaving me exasperated.

ELECTRIC SHOCK

**_Jasper_**  
Bella kept one eye on Edward and the guests, another on the guards, and her mind solely on mine in curiosity as she danced, the blue skirts of her dress twirling at her calves. Watching them sparkle in the light reminded me of when Alice wore a dress like that when we were first together, universes ago.

She had looked so breathtaking, so innocent, yet the look in her shifty eyes were opposite in many ways. I remembered how she dragged a nail down her chest, welling blood and venom, an elixir and a poison, and I made love to her with the taste of her immortality on my lips, shifting me into a world of gray; right was wrong and wrong was deliciously right. She held me then, brushed her fingers through my hair, down my neck. "My life is yours now as yours is mine," she said happily - not solemnly, not passionately, yet I knew how that one act had changed the course of my life. We married not too long after....

I dragged myself out of memories, and dragged my body to the bar. A pretty vampire-barista smiled flirtatiously as she poured me a goblet of once frozen blood. I stared into it; it was purplish-red in color, much like Cora's claret eyes. I was struck with another perplexing matter that rivaled the Romanian matter in importance and confusion; who was this girl? What was the extent of her power? Why was she seeking me?

"Our worshipful Isabella looks quite beautiful tonight, does she not?" Gabriel asked me, thrusting me from reverie. "That dress is simply _breathtaking_."

I ignored his instigating. "When will you come clean on your mindreading?"

"When I gain the ability," he responded with a sly grin. "I see you have met Cora. She's a valuable little doll, isn't she?"

"She's a possibility, an empty promise and an insolent child," I responded shortly, glaring at him. I didn't dare question if he had already met her - he most likely had. The old man, despite being hated, made sure to slink himself into conversations, minds, and places seeking information that I dare not. He was a rat with a superiority-complex and the knowledge to back it up. In short, I hated him.

Gabriel's calculating silver eyes were even smiling. "Oh Orpheus, you have found the Persephone to free your lover Eurydice! However, can you sing a song beautiful enough to woo her? That is the challenge."

"I am not a fool," I said gently. "I will not play Orpheus in your sick tragedy; there are too many lines to run in order to lose my Alice once again."

"_However_," Gabriel said, taking a sip of his blood-laced wine, "I know you Jasper; you are careful. You would not commit such an egregious mistake as Orpheus."

I glared at him. "I'm not going to be manipulated by you, Gabriel, for your amusement and satisfaction. I'm not as dense as you believe. You _are_ a scheming liar."

"I am also a widower," he reminded me lightly. This was his second way to argue, to play on my nonexistent emotions. "I have outlived my lover by several millenniums not simply half a century. I would once have done anything to bring her back to me. Arrogantly, cynically, you push away an option to resurrect your love in fear of hurting _yourself_. It's selfish."

"Selfish? Is evicting an angel from the arms of her God selfish?" I shot back at him. "Is taking Alice away from eternal peace into a world full of lies and schemers and facades _selfish_?"

"But do you truly believe that she is with a merciful God?" Gabriel asked me, his face calculating, and his face back to the cruel, cold one I remember the most. "I know that you question daily the existence of a God in general and the sympathy he has for our kind. You may be saving her from an eternal damnation in hell."

"I don't know _what_ I believe, Gabriel, but I can assure you that I do not believe some little twit can make all my wild dreams come true. And I believe that your interest is not merely conversational."

His lips curled suddenly into a smile and he chivalrously stood, evicting the seat for Patricia who immediately gravitated towards me as if by magnetic force.

"Having fun?" I asked her. It was evident that she wasn't enthralled by party; she seemed antsy, bored, and lonely. She had propped her chin on her palm, leaning into the bar. She graciously demanded a B-positive and Dolcetto before finally answering my question.

"I'm having the time of my life. You know that they sent Jacob to Bucharest to speak to the Prime Minister."

I bristled. "I am still angered and slightly shocked that Isabella denied Felix."

"They're still reeling over Marcus's obvious disapproval of the crown and his role as spymaster and the recent information about Felix's temporary position as one of his agents," she said quickly, taking a long slopping drink of her B-Dolcetto. "I think it's foolish, but my I'm obviously biased, having known the ex-Volturi slaves and with Jake."

I stared out at the frolicking crowd, considering how and where I would have to assassinate Bella because of her grievous mistake. It was then I noticed a flash of crimson curls and inquisitive claret eyes. I followed her waltz with a young off-duty guard, watching the flash of her vivid, leaf-green dress whirl around her with each spin.

"She's pretty," Patricia said quietly.

Cora's sleek figure was now in the arms of Felix, who winked our way.

"Yes, a rancid girl indeed." I pulled my eyes away, drowning them in my goblet.

"What'd she do to you?"

"She's an infuriating monster," I said automatically, even though it sounded quite foolish and childish. "Not only did she traipse into private grounds, she questioned my authority and propositioned me."

Patricia watched Cora carefully. "She doesn't seem despicable. Maybe she likes you."

I hissed at her. "I have battled many a foolish crush in all of my years; I know what they look like, Patricia. And save me the emotional blather. She's not some love struck teenager, she's an ambitious creature trying to use me as a stepping stone."

"Oh?" Although I met her only once, I knew the voice that ghosted along my neck from rolling around each word she spoke, trying to decode them. "Please continue."

I met her claret eyes and noticed amusement glittering in her irises.

"Eavesdropping is certainly impolite," I scolded her suddenly, my voice even and icy.

Cora considered that, smiling daintily at Patricia. "Could you excuse us for a moment?"

"Sure," Patricia said, alarmed that this woman was bold enough to approach me. She walked away and found herself flanked by Demetri and Felix immediately.

"What is it?" I demanded from Cora, lowering my voice. "What do you want from me?"

She slithered her arms around my neck, walking audaciously in the part of my legs on the stool. Her touch had so much heat, like sunshine, that I allowed myself to tolerate it.

Her smile was pleased when she stated, "You were watching me. I could feel the holes you burned in my spine"

"I won't lie and say I'm not puzzled by you," I said quietly, carefully pulling her arms from my neck. She locked them across her breast in response.

"I want a dance."

_I want Alice but I'm not getting her_, I thought internally, but instead I made a decision. I was going to play her game temporarily, figure her out. I took her hand and led her to the outskirts of the merry dancers, rattling off a few indecent swears in my mind, cursing curiosity. Edward must have heard my shouts because he shot an incredulous look my way.

I grasped her waist and small, gloved hand, and mistakenly assumed the male lead. We barely escaped from stepping on one another's feet before finding a balance. Her fluidity forced me to find an internal grace while my steps forced her to give trust.

She glanced up at me from under her long, dark frame of lashes, the cogwheels churning in her head visibly. "You are as cold as they say."

I ignored her words, focusing on the accent. I couldn't narrow it. It wasn't Italian, or even European to my American ears. Her proud, Grecian nose sharpened her features; there was little softness - even her lips, which were pliable and with a full Cupid's bow seemed marble and poisonous. She was upperclasswoman once, I decided by the fluidity of her waltz and tight posture. My physiognomy has never been on par, however; perhaps its my ignorant American background that stripped me of otherworldly abilities of assumption by mere facial features.

Numbly, I responded, "I have read the magazine articles."

"It allured me to come to Volterra."

I laughed at her. "And what? Find the man who is written facetiously on paper?"

Cora considered that then smiled tenderly. "No, because you are lacking."

"And you're assuming you can fix that?" I mumbled mostly to myself, but she laughed, the sound like the plucking of a harp; full and melodic. I shrunk away.

"I'm hoping."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing such?"

Sudden nervousness had her eyes flick away from mine. She tried to play it off, but I saw it – the crack in her façade. "I can't say here." In a more hush tone, she whispered, "Will you escort me to a more private area we may be able to speak?"

My breath was poised at the edge of a cliff. I felt adrenaline where I shouldn't. I knew it was foolish of me to think she was going to tell me the truth, but I was hoping. I was ready to read through her.

However, my breath left me when I felt the panic of thousands overwhelming my body. Cora noticed the change immediately, stopping midtwirl to meet my eyes. They flickered away to the source and panic suddenly filled her spine; Bella was lying unconscious on the floor, blood seeping into the crystalline tiles.


	3. Inferos

**A/N: Chapter Name Note: Inferos is **_**Underworld**_** in Latin. =D I knew taking Latin would actually profit me one of these days. Yes, I am forced to take old skool Latin in school, which sucks. But at least I know like random shit to say =D  
ANYWAY,  
I know that in **_**Power Surge**_**, Bella could bring people back to life, and in this story she can't – it's not that I overlooked something, but you'll be told later what's going on with Bella. =D  
Love always,  
Tricia**

_**Inferos**_

Hold your breath quiet now; don't say a word  
You could run (but) it won't do any good  
Prayers forsaken when you lose faith inside  
It's not (her) time to die  
_-"Her Portrait in Black", Atreyu_

Bella's brown hair was spread out underneath her on immaculate pillows, the white room causing her skin to look almost translucent. Lights were low above her, the reflection too bright in her blank eyes. Edward sat silently besides the bed, cradling Bella's hand between his. Next to him, Gabriel sat, his face drawn in perplexity.

The rest of the family had left an hour or so ago, trying to alleviate the hysteria that occurred after Bella collapsed in the ballroom; the King had ordered us to. However, unlike the rest of my family who believe Edward's word as _law_ I understand better. He is no different with a crown on his head than he is without.

So I stood in the corner of the room, watching the nurse's check Bella's pulse every few moments, their eyes darting away from Edward's and mine. When they spoke, their voices wobbled, as if they were afraid of what might offend us - _as if_ we were true royalty. It bemused me to consider the fact that over two decades we have become a feared group of people, not any worse than the Volturi had once been.

I glanced out of the window; the sun was dipping over the horizon, red marking its exit. Something seemed ominous in the sunset and even more ominous on the following dusk.

"I can't stay here all night," Gabriel said gently, resting his large palm on Edward's head. Although Edward seemed uncomfortable, he bore the touch with as much pride as he could. "As much as I wish to stay here and figure out what has lead to Bella's coma, I cannot – especially with the absence of the King. Can I persuade you-?"

"No, I'm not leaving," Edward said frigidly, his hand tightening around his wife's. "I'm not leaving her until I see her healthy. And they say she is not in a coma."

"They don't know _what_ is wrong with Bella and I cannot imagine _why_," Gabriel said sarcastically. "It's not as if she is some immortal entity."

"Leave," I growled at the man, "if you are leaving. No one wishes to hear you speak."

Gabriel's eyes flickered brightly but he listened to my words. Hesitantly, he walked out of the room, murmuring a few words to the wolves guarding the door. They whimpered agreement and then grew silent, the door sliding casually shut behind Gabriel's exit.

"He believes that Bella is going to die," Edward said suddenly, looking up at me through the hair that had fallen in his eyes. He made no movement of pushing it away, nor did he desire to. The intensity of his emotions were for Bella – I could see it in his black eyes.

"She's immortal," I argued. "This is probably a perk of her powers. She has been exercising them a lot lately. After the war, she had gone into a similar comatose."

"This isn't the same," Edward argued. "I can feel something heavy in the air; I can feel Bella dying."

"Don't say that," I pleaded with him. "She is immortal. It's…."

"Improbable, impossible," he supplied in a soft voice. "I have once thought of all of what has occurred since I met Bella as such and obviously I am mistaken. _Nothing_ seems impossible anymore. She's proof."

"Then don't disbelieve that she won't get up suddenly like nothing has happened in the past few hours."

"The past day," Edward corrected. "It's been a day Jasper."

I tried to calculate the hours I have been leaning against this wall, but I couldn't – it seemed like time has melted all into one large entity that moved sluggishly. I sighed, drumming my fingertips on my thigh.

"Does the girl know where you are?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"What girl?"

He smiled briefly, eyes teasing slightly, like the Edward I knew. "The girl you have been seeing on the sly – the redhead."

"Cora," I hissed through my teeth. "The girl is a loony and I would rather not have my name linked to hers, brother."

Edward shrugged. "She seems like a nice girl."

"I'm married," I murmured. "And Cora is more interested in using me to get a spot on the council. She believes her powers are something we should be interested in."

"When she asked to stay here she said that she has neither special powers nor the aptitude," he said suddenly. "I remember her vividly."

I smirked. So she _did_ lie. But what are her reasons to come prowling around us? What is reason enough for her to sneak around us, without of course, being apart of some conspiracy. I considered that, but bit my tongue, deciding not to give this information to Edward, irregardless of Bella lying unconscious besides him.

"But anyway, what is her gift?"

"Being an annoyance," I said hoarsely, my fingers thrumming harder into my thigh.

Edward looked up confused, dark eyes meeting mine. "You should hunt Jasper."

"I hunted two days ago," I said quickly. "And I had a sip of 'wine' during the Gala last night."

"Your eyes are _black_," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

"As are yours," I retorted.

Bella sighed softly. Edward's eyes widened, met mine, and went back to Bella's. She sighed once again, the tendons in her arm flexing as she tightened her hand around his.

"Edward?" she asked gently, looking at me directly, her eyes cloudy.

"Get Gabriel," he demanded, his hand cupping Bella's too pale face. "Bella, my love, how do you feel?"

"Edward?" she questioned. Then she screamed.

"GET GABRIEL," Edward shouted at me, and then proceeded to cry for nurses. Without thinking, I slammed the door open, trying to find Gabriel's distinct scent. The wolves howled with Bella's screams, causing bedlam in the infirmary. With a mental screech of my own, I sped through the hallways.

Wolves outside tilted back their head in chorus to Bella's screams and I plugged my ears, trying to think. With the screeching in my ears, I my thoughts became unclear; it was hard to discern who was who with all the chaos still ringing in my ...I cursed his name over and over again. Of course the asshole would mask his scent - how else would he be able to slink into private conversations? My feet lead me into the rectangular council room, where Rosalie and Esme were trying to talk to each other over the noise. Seeing me, their eyes widened.

"Jasper!" my mother cried, her voice getting lost in the insanity. I ignored her, running up the stairs to the opened second floor of the room and speeding right through the door to the secret stair that led to the observatory.

At the top, the sound only seemed to intensify. My eyes burned. I glanced around the castle, hoping that I could find him if he was outside, but instead I saw masses of wolves howling up at the moon, their song somber and deafening. With a groan, I jogged down the emergency steps that curved around the turret, swinging myself into an open window. The shattered glass was hardly heard.

The room I had jumped into was one of the occupied guest rooms. Two young girls were huddled against each other, blocking their ears. They hardly noticed me as I ran through their door and straight into Cora.

"Jasper? What is going on?" she asked, her voice straining. I only shook my head and continued on my search for Gabriel. I looped to the garden, hoping that the to find _him_ there. Why couldn't the castle have been much smaller? Cora followed leagues behind me, her voice shrill as she screamed orders for people to get out of her way.

With a few curses, I realized the ass wasn't here. Cora grabbed my shoulder, wheeling me around. "Who are you looking for?"

"GABRIEL," I screamed at her, feeling my body go numb from the immense noise. My mind clicked and in a swift move, I had grabbed her by both of her shoulders and shook her until her head lolled back and forth with the power of each shake. "I _know_ what you're up to now, you sneaky lil' twat!"

"Let me go!" she hollered, trying to kick me. My hands slid from her shoulder to her neck and pressed, watching her eyes buldge.

"Tell me, can you bring yourself back to life?"

Cora pried at my hands, managing to free herself one finger at a time. She collapsed to the floor, grasping her neck as if she honestly thought that I could choke the life out of her. "I did _nothing_," she hoarsely informed me, glaring up from underneath her eyelashes. "I know you have reason to doubt, but I laid not a _hand_ on her. I would dare not."

"Bullshit," I growled. "You don't need to lay a hand on her."

Cora opened her mouth to retort, but found interest in something over my shoulder. "There!" she exclaimed, pointing to a man who was sitting on a bench. I shook from anger as I strode over to Cora and grabbed her roughly by the arm. Dragging her to Gabriel, I hissed at him.

"What has happened? An attack?" he cried in question.

"_Bella_," I responded, tightening my hand around Cora's until I knew that despite her vampirism she would feel quite sore. Cora pulled on my arms, trying to make me stop.

"Jasper!" she hissed.

Then the noise stopped. I don't know if I had become deaf, or if the wolves stopped. The three of us gazed at each other in confusion before running off to the infirmary. A scream tore through the room before all went silent once more. Cora's hand wrapped around me and I didn't have the heart to push her away. Gabriel entered the room first and gripped the doorframe. He blocked my view, thank God, but moved so I could see. Cora hid her face in my shoulder and sobbed – my body went limp.

Transparent, Bella's eyes were rolling wickedly, blood pouring from the sockets down into her mouth, silencing her. Her lips moved like she was under water as they repeatedly mouthed _NO_. Her fingers had cut into her chest, leaving bleeding scratches and the white substance I had realized quickly was venom. Besides her, Edward stood with his face ashen and numb.

Gabriel pushed him away forcefully and Edward slid across the room, not moving once from the position. The old man put his hand over Bella's eyes, either in some ritual or to keep himself from having to view their constant circling.

One of the nurses wove between Bella and Gabriel, grabbing Bella's wrist to check her pulse, while another nurse tried to sop up the blood. Bella pulled away from them with a gargled scream, her hands coming up to grip her neck. She applied pressure much to my disgust and she tried to strangle herself. Gabriel's eyes hardened and he shouted a few choice curses.

"Restrain her!" he commanded the nurses before looking towards me. "Patricia!"

The girl slunk under the arm I was using to hold myself up and ran to Gabriel's side. She gave a soft sob before closing her eyes and concentrating. With a cry, her eyes snapped open.

"She's killing herself – something is taking control of her, I don't understand," Patricia sobbed, turning towards Edward. She collapsed and pulled Edward's face to her bosom, whispering soothing words.

Gabriel ripped his shirt and began to wipe underneath Bella's eyes. "I don't know what to do!" he cried suddenly to anyone who would listen. The calamity rose once more – wolves screamed up to the moon, Bella gave a shriek, and Gabriel cried in anguish.

Carlisle pulled me out of the room, his face masked, and closed the door. I knew what was occurring on the opposite side however. I heard Edward's voice as he screamed NO repeatedly, as the sounds stopped outside and beyond the door.

Cora began to sob more violently. "We can't…she can't, Jasper!"

"NO. SHE CANNOT BE DEAD. SHE'S IMMORTAL FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!" Edward screamed, and then there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Something metal fell – probably the stand that held the IV they couldn't force into Bella's arm.

Rosalie cried loudly into Carlisle's arms, Esme holding Emmett's hand. I pulled away from Cora, my face tightening in anger.

"You told me you have a gift; I've seen it, Cora," I hissed at her. "You must do it now."

She shook violently. "I…."

"Don't you want to belong here?" I demanded.

"Jasper it doesn't work like that. I…"

Oh no. There wasn't going to be a damn debate. If I could prevent another death, damn straight I was going to. I tugged Cora into the room, and pushed her towards Bella's bed side. Gabriel and Edward were fighting and rolling around on the floor – the nurses were trying to separate the two while checking on Bella. Her blood flow had ceased; her face was blank. Her large eyes were widened as she stared at nothing. Purple spilled down her cheeks between her lips and down her neck, staining the sheets. Cora shook, staring up at me.

"I can't!" she cried softly.

"DO IT," I ordered.

"I'm sorry," Cora said softly before placing her hand on Bella's cheek. The light in the room dulled before enflaming the area in a fire so bright I couldn't close my eyes to escape it. Cora's large claret eyes turned black, her hair shifting into a color akin to the illuminating electricity that had lightened the air.

"I'm sorry!" she hissed once more, gripping both of Bella's cheeks. The light bulbs around us exploded, cutting Bella's flesh. Blood welled up and solidified. The room darkened black and someone fell, their body thudding on the tiled floor.

Cora wobbled towards me, her large eyes spooked, and her hair bleeding back to burgundy. She fell limp against me, long lashed eyes studying the shirt on my chest.

"Edward?" Bella whispered in the dark.

*

Cora was still shaking when I pulled her out of the infirmary and into the small room I had claimed as my own – it was only a hallway away from the medical wing, and I needed her to rest. I placed her gently on my bed, glancing at Alice's picture, before turning for the door.

"Not yet," she begged me, gripping my hand. "Not yet, please."

I glanced down at the small, pathetic creature curled up in a ball on my bed before sighing and shaking my head. I sat down in a chair besides her, somehow untwining our hands. Her eyes were once again claret, and her hair the loud blood color that she had when I met her, but there was something different about her all together – her face, which was complacent in essence, was drawn and had the same effect of a girl who was just scared out of her wits. She looked so young and small, that I began to wonder the age she was changed – she looked too young.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, feeling slightly guilty. She twitched still before shaking again.

"I hate it," she whispered.

"Hate what?"

Her wine-colored eyes focused on the sheets. "I hate Death. She is…."

"She?"

"Bella," she corrected, voice dry. She licked her lips before shaking gently. "Death had strong grips on her."

I shuddered at the personification of the natural occurrence – was death a person in fact? I shook my head and looked out the window, trying not to glance at Cora.

"She's alright?" she asked me suddenly.

"Yes, Bella is fine," I assured the girl. I had made sure of Bella's status before leaving the room. Besides being sick and slightly confused, Bella was fine and would probably leave the infirmary in perhaps a day or so.

"No, not Bella," she sobbed, "Leila."

"Leila?" I questioned.

Cora sat up and gripped her knees to her chest, resting her chin the crevice between. She had carefully rearranged the blanket to hide her nude legs, but I looked away regardless. "Leila Martin was the nurse."

"The woman who died," I murmured. I didn't stop myself from asking, "Did you kill her?"

"Yes," Cora said automatically. "I killed her."

"Why?"

She considered it briefly, digging her nails into the blanket around her. "There was this woman," she began softly, "and she came to me one day. I was only a year old as a vampire. She told me that I am the way I am because my human life equaled to death and indecision. She said my vampire life would not be the same."

"That was it?" I asked her when she stopped speaking.

"I don't know – I killed her before I had the chance."

I tried to imagine Cora as a killer and the image was too easy to create at the moment. In her eyes dwelt a soft sense of insanity, her face spooked like a murderer staring at what she had killed. Her dainty hands seemed now to be claws; her soft lips seemed to conceal fangs. I averted my eyes and stared at Alice's more gentle face.

"Jasper," a voice said, pulling me out of my daze. I gazed at the door without really looking – Edward was standing there. "There's a meeting in five minutes."

"Alright," I said softly.

"And Cora is invited."

The girl whimpered and I glanced towards her; she looked like she was going to get sick. Her pale face was twisted into a grimace.

"We'll be there," I told Edward firmly as a dismissal. He didn't move, but instead gazed confused at Cora.

"Thank you," he said before turning on his heel and closing the door behind us.

I sighed, standing up and opening my closet. "Much to my displeasure, you'll have to borrow some of my things – you can't go into the meeting wearing nothing but a small blanket and my T-shirt."

"Yes," she agreed, walking towards me noiselessly.

With repulsion, I went through the draw were some of Alice's undergarments were. I tossed her some underwear, sighing. I didn't particularly want this girl wearing anything of Alice's – in fact I'm still having a bit of an argument with Bella and Esme for dividing up Alice's clothing without my consent. However, in this situation, it's unavoidable; she has to wear _something_.

I kept my back respectfully turned as Cora dressed in the underwear and the top I had given her. I tossed her a a dress Alice had worn, hoping it fit, and waited until I heard her stop shuffling. I turned around and automatically my eyes fell to the bright, vivid green vine that wrapped around her left leg, almost seeming to move as she walked towards the dresser. Little tiny blossoms in light pink adorned it like twinkles, small neon stars finely patterned around it.

She piled her hair on her head in a bun, and I noticed the piercings in her ears, which were excessive and many. An iron rod was carefully sewn through the cartilage of her left ear, almost like an arrow to the stars that were hidden. Small silver hoops bit into the rest of her ear.

She turned towards me; her feline face was exposed from under her curly hair and seemed to sharpen her appearance from the pathetic looking girl that was once sprawled on my bed shaking. Something feral and cat-like was about her, as was an earthy, warm feeling that I couldn't touch upon. Her audacity and innocence seemed connected and almost the same – it frightened me deeply.

However, looking in her claret eyes, I found a sense of balance – she was at home with who she was. There was an intelligent sanity in her depths as well as the belligerent rage stored quietly in the corner. The warmth in the lazily formed curve of her mouth and the smiles tucked in the corner seemed almost uncharacteristic on her face, as was the strong dependence etched in the worried curve of her brow.

"We must go," I said coolly, much to my surprise.

She nodded and like a puppy, followed behind me on the heels of my feet, whimpering softly to herself. I sighed, walking into the council room. My family stood, eyes speaking more than their mouths. Gabriel was lounging on the ground as if the recent events hadn't disturbed him while Patricia hid herself in the corner of the room.

Almost as if to protect Cora, I moved myself slightly in front of her, but she didn't understand. Instead, she moved in front of me, her arms limp by her side and her large eyes tightened.

"What are you?" Rosalie demanded first, her confusion melting into anger. She understood the random rage in her voice and tilted her head forward in apology. Cora didn't seem perturbed.

"I'm a vampire."

"Oh please," Gabriel grumbled, picking up a chalice. "You're a fraction, and it's quite obvious. The hue of your eyes, the feline way you hold yourself, your strong scent and that uncanny ability, which I have never before seen at such a powerful magnitude, is part of my evidence. But also the fact I do remember you from somewhere before."

Cora's looked fearfully up at me.

"You're frightening her," I pointed out to the man.

"I'm might as well ask if you considered her fear whilst you choked her earlier," he drawled. "_Cora_, as you call yourself these days, I do know that you are from wolf and siren heritage."

"We have met before," Patricia said suddenly. "But you were too young to remember – and human."

"Yes," Gabriel agreed. "Many years ago – when you still went by Elaine."

"I don't remember," Cora said blankly.

"You lost all of your memory?" Patricia asked softly. Cora nodded.

"Mother a siren with so much dirt in her blood she never heard of the term - father a formidable werewolf. I regret to say I had to slaughter him in order to get to what I wished. A strong man he was," Gabriel sighed. "And a stronger wolf."

Cora's eyes darkened and suddenly her emotions shifted rapidly. Her shyness and fear evaporated like rain in Texas heat, and was instead replaced with pure rage. She growled, but didn't say a word.

"And your gift?" Carlisle asked gently. "Have you always had such a gift?"

"Yes," Cora said strongly, her voice resonating around the room. "I have had my gift since the day I awoke from the change."

"You unleashed your full potential so quickly?" Esme questioned.

Cora shrugged. "Yes. I know the extent of my 'gift'."

"It's extremely powerful," Edward said, gazing at me as if to ask if I knew.

_I knew, and I have considered it, _I told him mentally, and watched how his face grew repulsed.

"Too powerful and too sought after," Cora pointed out. "I nearly escaped Volturi clutches forty years ago. Their motto was _'join or die'_. I remember it clearly," she said, glaring at Marcus, who was sitting quietly on a chair. "The more loquacious one tried to use his little Jane-doll on me."

"Aro," Edward breathed, shivering in remembrance of Jane's powers.

The room quieted.

"No one must know of her gift," Patricia finally said, her voice low. "I do believe I'm right in saying that there could be plenty of wars over Cora just for her gift. Humans will fear us more than already – the rogues will have more reason to attack us. They might want to use her to bring back Elesmeera."

"I can't bring back bodies or souls or hearts; I can just bring back life," Cora said firmly. "If their body is still in perfect condition, I can bring them back, but Elesmeera was destroyed as I have read or have been told. I can't bring her back from the thin air. I'm not a magician."

"You can say that until the cows come home but people are stupid," Emmett said with a shrug. Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"People are dogmatic, and stick to their beliefs," Carlisle corrected. "This is why Patricia is right. Right now, vampires and humans are on unsteady ground. If Cora is revealed for the gift she has, one of us is going to fall through."

"And most likely, it will be us," Esme chimed in.

"So all of you have lied about your powers?" Cora asked. "The extent, the magnitude, it's all lies?"

"We don't write the books, the articles," I said in a stage whisper. "Humans wrote the books from what immortalsm have accounted. Bella's powers are kept hushed for her protection as well as ours."

"What can she do?"

Gabriel laughed. "What can't she do? There is the reason why the rogues are so few in numbers and normally docile. She is powerful – the clear definition."

"But that is neither here nor there," Edward said frankly. "Cora has an amazing gift."

"It's not that great," Cora sighed in a bored manner, and I'm sure I was the only one who was paying attention enough to hear.

"We have to protect her then," Emmett said, flexing a burly arm as if to say he was ready and willing to do so.

"And keep her a secret," Rosalie reminded him. "The only one who knows is the nurse, Marea."

Gabriel shrugged. "I'm sure that I can make her quiet."

"Don't you dare kill her," Cora growled suddenly, her voice sinister. "I swear…don't you dare."

"Even if I did, I'm sure you could just…bring her back to life," Gabriel said with a twiddle of his fingers.

"It doesn't work that way," she snarled. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down Cora – he'll just wipe her memory clean. It won't cause pain," I assured her. "No one will be hurt on your account."

She hesitantly released her tense frame, and relaxed.

"I believe that Jasper is best to watch over Cora," Patricia finally said. "Obviously, Cora trusts him."

"And they have been seen together – it won't look as suspicious if they are seen more frequently," Carlisle agreed, giving Cora a kind smile.

"Do I have no say in the matter?" I asked angrily. "If I don't want to become a security guard for Cora, do I have a choice?"

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak and then looked at Edward, the _king_. His face was composed, but he was frazzled – was he going to order around his _family_ like some sort of tyrant?

"I'd prefer if it was you, Jasper," Cora said gently, looking up at me. "I do trust you."

"Well I don't trust you," I retorted firmly before turning back to my family. "I am a councilman."

"You do nothing but sit around pessimistically in your free time," Edward pointed out.

"What free time?" I demanded from my family.

"Stop being a douche bag, Jasper," Emmett grumbled. "She's not a disease. She's a pretty girl, that's all." Rosalie glared at him, arms tightening around her bust. She obviously saw my side of the argument, as well as Esme, who sat quietly in the corner.

"Fine," I grumbled. "Fine. I'll do it. Are you all happy now?"

Patricia laughed humorlessly. "Not yet."


	4. Thanatos

_**A.N: Thanatos is a child of the goddess Nyx and her consort, Erebus. Thanatos pretty much means, **__**Death.**_

_**Thanatos **_

I live in fear,  
when the shadows reappear,  
unleashing all their might.  
I'd never thought,  
I'd face the demons all it stop!  
Haunted…hunted…._  
-"Haunted", Stream of Passion_

_**Bella**_  
I felt as if something was constricting my throat and binding me to the bed when I finally opened my eyes. The slit through my lids only exposed the immaculately white sheets stretched from my breast to my toes. The color matched the new door now resting as the front of this quiet room as a wall to the insanity probably swirling through the rest of the castle without a proper queen.

I inhaled and automatically smelt Edward's clean scent. The breath seemed to bring reality back to me; I heard the rattling of a cart down the hallway, the beep of steady machines next door, the obnoxious giggling of girls underneath the window…. Glancing down, I found Edward's hand gripping mine and I sobbed mentally with sadness for not even feeling it. I yearned to clench his fingers reassuringly - to tell him I was fine, but I could not move. This feeling went beyond lethargy..

"Are you awake, love?" Edward softly inquired, his breath fanning across my face. My eyes lowered in peace and pleasure, enjoying the gentle smell of him like a summer breeze. I opened my mouth to speak, but it only croaked in protest. I smiled dizzily at him.

_I think I'm awake, at least_, I informed him through our mind-to-mind contact. _Or is this heaven?_

He smiled sadly, his hands grasping my face. _No, Bella, my love, you're alive. _His emerald-tinged ocher eyes were alert and full of fear, although his voice was smooth - practiced. "Is there any pain?"

I wished to stroke his cheek, to alleviate the emotions flickering wildly across his face like firelight, but my hand felt detached from my body - there was no way my wish would ever be acknowledged.

_I'm not in pain,_ I assured him. His hand slid through mine, lacing our fingers together. I focused all my energy into squeezing his hand back, though my body rejected the idea. My finger twitched.

_Can you speak?_ he questioned hesitantly, not wanting to run down my throat with questions. He picked at the most unimportant, like a child grimly eating vegetables with the smell of a fresh baked pie wafting into his nostrils.

_No - I'm still…_

"Under exertion," he hissed. His eyes widened slightly, apologetically, like he had spat an expletive or belched. "I begged you to cut back on the power you've been putting forth lately. But, as usual, you never heed what I have to say - why now?"

_Edward_, I chided mentally. _Please - it's not that._

His expression softened a tad, apology dripping in his eyes like honey, but he remained zealous about my powers. _You've been talking to Jasper lately, _he accused. _Trying to bring back Alice again._

I widened my eyes, hoping that it gave the same affect as shaking my head.

_Then explain to me why you blacked out like that Bella? The only time I've ever heard you scream like that…_, he drifted off, his mind softening around the edges. He decided to let this go - he couldn't, in his ever-sympathetic conscience, guilt me while I lay on my death bed. _I just worry about you, Bella, my star, my meteor. I feel guilty - I ignored your complaints about frequent headaches. I believed them just to be aggravation from work…._

I mentally tried to send him the feeling every kiss to my forehead he ever bestowed upon me created. His soft smile told me I was a success. _There is no way to tell that this would happen. Don't feel guilty. _I mentally sighed into his head. _Tell me what has happened? I only remember collapsing and waking up here. _

_You don't remember waking up before? Don't remember screaming? _Edward asked incredulously, his face darkening. He slowly slipped memories of what had happened into my head and I analyzed them carefully. Whatever happened to me seemed to be a mystery.

_Do you not remember anything? _he pressed, his face worried.

I ran through my own memory bank and only recalled the familiar sound of nails on a chalkboard, the scream of a female voice, which - I decided in a snap decision - could be likened to one of my headaches escalating. Keeping that single memory to myself, I met Edward's eyes carefully.

_No. I remember nothing_.

**ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC **

_**Jasper**_  
I felt as if my ears were bleeding, my head was exploding, and my body was going to disintegrate into the ground. I watched in anguish as paintings and shelves crumpled to the carpeted floor because of the terribly vibrating walls. I considered knocking on the door but she probably wouldn't hear my frantic demands for her to turn down her _stupid_ music. Nor will I barge into her room - it's improper as well as potentially devastating if she is undressed.

I attempted to drown out her music by pulling five pillows over my head, but my ears, exponentially better than a human's, could hear it way clearer than an amplified bell. I sighed, slightly perturbed by the fact I couldn't even hear the sound of resignation, and tried to clean up the glass from a painting that had fallen.

Morning was beginning to dawn, I realized tightly - nearly five hours of blindingly loud screams coming from her damn room. She claimed it to be artistic expression - she claimed it to be music. The only thing melodic about the disaster coming from her speakers is the pounding in my head that somehow is akin to the earth shattering bass woven underneath feral growls. I put a hand to my aching head as if to compress the pounding and then went back to brushing the shards of glass into my other hand.

Cora swept into my room without any regard for the shut door. She turned on her neon green stiletto heels and lowered the music before giving me a bright smile. "Good morning."

I grunted rudely in response, which I must confess, is more than she deserved. With all the shards swept up, I dumped them into the trash barrel, brushing past her coldly. She didn't notice my anger because the dent in her cheek didn't alleviate even the smallest from her gleeful smile.

"I'm guessing you're not a morning person," she said, sweeping her short hair into a bun on her head. "Either way, I'm planning to go to the garden today - seeing as you're my protection, I'm going to assume you're bound to come with me."

I quickly glared at her as if she was insane before quickly glancing away, trying not to show her my obvious agitation. Instead, she took a seat on my bed, curling her legs up to her chin, which wasn't proper considering her extremely short skirt. She rested her face into the crevice between her knees and locked her arms around her legs, the soft sound of static from her forearm against her thick black tights the only noise in the room. She smiled angelically as if she hadn't just tortured me with her suicide anthems for hours straight before imperiously claiming my place as her own.

"I'm going to also guess from that snarl on your face, you're pissed off at me," she stated, claret eyes wildly energetic. "And I'm going to assume it's because my music was too loud."

"Gee," I grumbled, pushing the shelf hanger nail back into the wall. I gently balanced the shelves back onto the wall and sighed. Looking back at the girl sitting on my bed, I noticed now how at peace she was. Not a bit of remorse flowed through her - not even a sarcastic apology. In fact, she seemed rather pleased to have me pissed off. Her feral pride lit up her feline face with a bronze glow.

"So, are we just going to sit here and waste space and air, or are we going to get going?" she demanded, pouting.

"To tell the truth Cora, I could give a fuck where you go. Get lost," I scowled in her general direction as I placed Alice's photo back onto the shelf. I winced when I realized a long scar cut across the glass, breaking Alice's beauteous face in half.

"Jasper," Cora said. I hardly noticed she came up behind me until she had placed her hand on my shoulder. I flinched away from her touch and watched how her smile dimmed in wattage. "We really should get going."

"Going _where_?" I demanded the girl angrily. "I have _no plans_."

"Well I actually do," she whispered at me, squeezing my shoulder before dropping her hand. "I signed up for some classes here, especially the ones for helping my _thirst_," she said, clamping her hands around her throat with a giggle. "I have to take care of the flowers and I'd love to check up on Bella."

I glared at her.

"Look, you can glare at me all you want. In fact, hate me. Grumble curses, slam me with the few friends you have. I don't _care_, but let's just get going, please?" Noticing how my body didn't tense, nor did I move, Cora sighed. "I'll make a deal. I'll only listen to my music on really low and I'll clean up your room." She nodded towards the corner of my room, where the windows were. "There's still some glass."

No bubbled on my lips, but I knew she would eventually threaten me by telling Edward or Carlisle, who I _know_ would side with her. Instead, I glowered at her until I reached my closet. I stripped off my shirt and replaced it quickly before turning to meet my charge.

"Where to first?"

"The garden," she peeped and danced to the out of my bedroom, slamming the door behind us. I watched her skip down the hallway, and she turned just once to appraise me as I stalked behind her. Cora smiled elegantly.

"Hurry up," she said, before continuing to the garden. I however, wasn't in any rush. I leisurely followed behind her, an air of anger floating around me. As soon as the fresh air flowed around me, I felt a bit relaxed. The Italian summer breeze ruffled my hair gently, the smell of flowers on it.

I watch Cora somehow run to each exhibit with her mini skirt, wondering how the small leather fabric didn't constrict her into one position. For a moment, she was just a pretty face; even her feral attitude was muted to a more gentler side. She looked like a woman, but not in the same context. Instead of a lioness, she seemed more like a bird, a gentle sparrow.

She pushed back her curly red hair from her eyes and glanced up at me, her smile waxing away like a moon. Sighing, she called me over with just a slight twist of her head. When I disagreed with her, she petulantly crossed her arms over her chest, jutting out her hip and tapping her foot in such an Alice fashion, I found myself reluctantly trotting over to where she stood. It was then, I realized, that I have become nothing more than a tool of Cora's will.

She didn't speak as she tended the flowers - pulling out weeds, plucking off dead leaves. It was the tranquil air that convinced me that it would be alright to go about my duties to the garden as usual, before Cora had become my charge. I fell in step with her and we somehow started a partnership. As I rid the garden of weeds, she followed behind me, tugging at browned leaves. Our unspoken truce seemed loud in my ears, palpitating almost like a pulse.

Birds twittered overhead as the sun rose high in the sky - afternoon, I calculated as I untangled the watering hose. When I looked up from the task, Cora was gone.

Panic froze me in my spot; if I lost her, there would certainly be hell to pay. However, as quickly as the panic seized me, it was alleviated. I found her kneeling at the base of a proud oak, towards the end of the garden. I jogged over to where she was, opening my mouth to scold her. I quickly closed it when I noticed the expression on her face.

Cupped in her hand was a dead butterfly. She showed me her find with all the excitement of a boy who had found out his parents had died - lest to say, she did not look pleased. Her brows furrowed and she sighed.

"Do you know how insignificant this life is?" she asked softly, looking up at me from underneath her eyelashes. "How little, individually of course, our lives or deaths affect the grand scheme of things?"

"Yes, I am aware," I said dully, sitting down besides her. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

She leaned against the tree, nudging the butterfly with her fingernail. "This insect has died," she pointed out matter-of-factly. "How does that affect us? Immediately, not in any way. Not physically of course.

"However, mentally, we will always know that this butterfly has passed away," she told me. "Perhaps, even one day, you'll make a metaphor out of it." She shrugged. "But we _know_. Now, if I did not find this butterfly, we would not have known.

"That's how it is with everything. All over the world, many millions of things are dying." Swallowing, she murmured, "_Billions_. Humans, animals, plants, aspirations, thoughts, love…." Inhaling, she gazed at me with her claret eyes. "But things are also _living_, are being born. And for some stupid reason, God put me on this earth to discern which things should continue to live, and which things should die."

I watched as the butterfly twitched back to life. For a moment, I swore it was looking directly at Cora, thanking her, before floating off into the air. It's flight routed through her hair, around her shoulders, before taking off to join the rest of the flying bugs in the sky.

"So what died in it's place?" I asked.

Cora's eyes weren't on mine; she was staring at the tree that had faded, the leaves turning a crusted brown and falling all around us like rain. Then, looking at me with an expression I could decipher, she said, "Me."

**ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC**

I still can't fathom how Cora didn't figure out from her oddities that she isn't just a normal vampire. She had passed out in my arms, compelling me to bring her to Carlisle. He explained that it was natural for mixed breeds to sleep - she was just as much as werewolf as vampire and siren.

I watched her sleep for a few moments, mystified by it's magic. Her face was smoothed over, and she looked simply astonishingly beautiful. Her arched brows were less dramatically drawn on her face - they were quivering softly as she sighed. The tips of her lips parted down, and her long limbs, so thin and ethereal, were sprawled out from under her duvet. Very quietly, she murmured _don't leave_, over and over again.

It was then that I had enough.

My body and mind felt like traitors, carrying the empty shell of a heart - the only baggage on my limbs. I raked my hand through my hair and walked down the spiraled path to the garden, gazing around. I knew that this whimsical request would only cause pain - the nighttime caused such a severe longing in my heart that it didn't matter what I chose to do anyway.

I could pretend that Alice was besides me; sometimes, I could close my eyes and recall the feel of her hand in mine, always so dainty and warmer than the sun. It was always those touches that reassured my humanity. Sometimes, I felt as if my heart could beat again. When I close my eyes, I can recall her laugh, so similar to the breeze blowing through the wind chimes I had placed around the garden for the soul fact it reminded me of her. The orchids I had woven into each exhibit smelled like Alice, filled me with memories.

I need this garden, I realized, laying on my back, eyes closed. I tried to recall the exact shade of ocher in her eyes. With frustration, I realized in these past years, I have forgotten the feel of her slender waist clasped between my palms, like holding the Holy Grail. I have forgotten what she said when she rolled over in my arms, the dawn squiggling over her body, causing sparkles.

Rain fell overhead. Slow at first, dampening my hair, but then fell in a rush, like the tears I wanted to streak down my face. I was lost in the cliché, the complete and utter ridiculousness of the moment, before deciding that it was Alice's tears sweeping over my face, washing into the venom streaking down my eyes and burning in my mouth like fire. I miss the taste of salty tears. The water seemed like nothing on my tongue, but weights.

I was comforted by the fact Alice was still very much apart of my despair as I am hers, but then choked myself on venom, on water, because she's in heaven and in pain. I chided myself for being so self-centered. Well, she was so self-centered for dying!

It wasn't her fault - she didn't choose, I reminded myself for the millionth time. I bowed to the wind of my conviction so easily it was not surprising that I didn't realize I was drowning in it.

I sat up and laughed callously at myself. I likened my rising to that of some Dracula movie. Chuckling, I hoped to turn into a bat - fly away undetected into the night. Fly all the way to heaven….

My feet dragged me over to the dead tree by their own accord. Instantaneously, my heart scolded me for remembering the weight of Cora's body pressed against mine as I carried her back to her room. My body screamed back - it has it's needs. She satisfied them. My mind explained that my body is emotionless and hasn't been touched in years. It needs physical interaction. Maybe even an embrace. It needs to feel like it's alive. My mind continued on to say that although my body is a dickbag, my heart will never forget Alice. I still love her, even if my body is grasping for something else. It's shallow.

I pushed that to the corner of my brain, dragging my nails down the bark to chip it. _M.A.B.C and J.W.H eternally,_ I wrote. I ran my fingers over the inscription, feeling it brand into my fingertips, feeling the each letter being carved onto the surface of my heart.

"Tough night," a soft voice chirped the observation. I glanced up and found Esme by my side, her hand on my shoulders. I watched as she casually ran her fingertips down the carving. I wondered if it branded her too - marked her, entwined her spirit forever with Alice's like I had just felt. The light in her eyes didn't suggest it.

"Extremely," I finally choked out. Esme's soft hand caressed the mid of my back, rubbing circles into it.

"I think of her too, Jasper," she finally said. "Alice is a daughter to me, and a good friend. I loved her, in a different way than you, but just as strongly. There isn't a day where I don't pray she's happy."

I noticed she used the present tense. It made my body quiver as if Alice's hand rested on my other shoulder. I looked at Esme's face and saw ghosts.

"We're worried," she said, but then stopped. "_I'm _worried. I think that you protecting Cora isn't…something you're ready for. I'm not saying you can't function - I'm not saying you're crazy. I'm just not sure that you're ready to have a female, especially one like _Cora_, forced upon you."

"If you think that manipulative female," I grumbled, instantly getting an image of her sleeping peacefully in her room, "is going to hurt me, you've got it wrong."

"No," Esme said, looking strangely at me. "I think that manipulative female is going to make you hurt yourself. I'm not stopping you from moving on," she said, and her words rattled me, "but I am going to say that false hopes are just the same as drugs. They can shield the pain, make you forget, and will trash you in the end."

I shook my head at her. "Since when have you become a psychic?"

"Call it a mother's intuition," she said, stretching as she stood. "Come on Jasper; let's get you inside. It's pouring cats and dogs."


	5. Dulce Periculum Est

**AN: such a delay between updates. Hopefully with the summer I'll be more… diligent on such things. Note: the title means, "danger is sweet". It is in regards to Jasper's reaction to receiving his visitor. He is thrilled with the idea that what he believed would be a simple task has the potential to blossom into something more interesting with due time. (: Who knows? Maybe Jasper is correct. **

_**Dulce Periculum Est**_

"This is the beginning of the end,  
I'm always wrong, it's always me"_  
- "Conductor", Oceana _

Esme sent me a concerned glance as I sunk into the couch, gazing carefully around the meeting room at each individual face of my family. They weren't particularly paying attention to me - not that I would expect their attention regardless of Bella's miraculous recovery.

Their obvious nonchalance over my appearance is, however, to _be_ expected - I've made sure I'm able to fade into the background. It's a great maneuver for politics; without that skill, it's quite too easy to become enraptured within the lies and betrayals that are so subtle and hidden they can become overlooked.

"The lil' minx didn't follow you here, eh?" Gabriel drawled in question, his voice condescending. He draped himself artistically besides me on the sofa, crossing his legs at the ankle. "She seems to have become quite taken with you. I have noticed her padding behind you like a lost puppy. Quite adorable in way. I did not think that you would have kept her around for as long as you did."

"Duty comes before personal delight," I informed him in the same condescending manner. "Whether or not I enjoy watching over her, I have to."

"Mm," he replied, bored, and then smiled coldly. "Whatever you've done to subdue her, I'm impressed. But your tactic will last for only so long. She's belligerent by nature; quite enraptured, (yes, that was the phrase you used earlier was it not?), with her past." He lolled his tongue around his mouth as if looking for sweets, considering what he said aloud. Then smiled. "But then again, I'm sure you'll learn eventually."

I glared. "So you do know more about her than you've let on."

Gabriel shrugged. "I've never gave any sort of front that I don't know _Angel_. Cora, however, is a new person to me. Perhaps she has changed. And perhaps I'm the next in line to be England's bloody queen." He leaned in conspiringly, something devious flickering in his silver irises. "What I _do_ know is that it's too easy to become enraptured within the lies and betrayals that are so subtle and hidden they can become overlooked. Be cautious."

My mind ticked away at how to respond and realized it to be useless with a mind reader. I fumed furiously and mentally about how he managed to break through my mental guard for a moment, sneering as a smug smile fixed his face. Considering my position, I gave him a meaningful glare, opting to ignore his prophetic message. I decided another tactic. "I'm not interested in your contradictions, Gabriel. I think that in your old age you've become slightly senile. T'was not long ago you were seducing me with the idea of her possibilities."

"Mm," he responded in the same bored, cold way, though his eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree. "I'd like to think of myself as your conscience, Jasper. The only difference is that I've lived through the past and exploited the future and know more than you."

"My conscience eh?"

"Mm. But it's your choice to discriminate whether I'm playing the devil or the angel." He chuckled and gave me a secretive smile. "Either way you'll have me twittering in your ear, balanced upon your shoulder."

"You're insane."

He laughed again, before turning expectantly towards the door. "And here comes your pet now."

Cora strode into the room then, her heels clacking elegantly on the stone floor. Immediately, eyes were drawn to her slender figure with muted curiosity. The girl didn't notice their gazes; she searched feverously for my face, meeting my eyes with her bright claret ones.

As usual, she was dressed rebelliously against the current fashion taste. With Bella as queen, a romanticized fashion of Victorian dresses and dainty slippers circulated. However, Cora seemed to dislike the idea of the new silhouette. Her clothes appeared painted on, revealing each tight curve, in an unpopular black. Her hair, red and curled, framed her face in an untamable mane against the slicked waves that have grown popular from Bella's natural style. Each curl bounced as she clacked my way, sinuously sleeking over with the fluidity of a jungle cat hunting prey.

"Hullo dear," she sang cheerily, bending slightly to ruffle my hair. She turned to Gabriel quite coolly, nodding in his general direction as a greeting. "Snuck out on me this morning, huh?"

I pulled away repulsed, fixing my face into a scowl. "Obviously not if you caught me."

"Well," she said, leaning in. "Next time you won't get away."

I glared at her, before discretely glancing over at Emmet, who was desperately trying not to laugh. Noticing my heated glower, he flashed me a wolfish smile and even more ridiculously a wink. I cast my scowl else where, mentally tuning out his rapid conversation with Rosalie.

"Sit and be quiet," I told her. "You should feel honored that you're even here."

"Aren't you a bit grouchy?" she snarled before turning her eyes to where Bella was sweeping into the room, dressed in full skirt, Edward on her arm. I smirked at how irrelevant my brother looked against his wife, who dominated the attention of the room. I then gazed at Cora, who seemed utterly enchanted by Bella's presence. I resisted the urge to laugh.

Cora straightened to her full height, her lips constructing into a charmingly beautiful smile, instead of the sarcastic one she wore constantly around me. She stepped towards Bella and swept a feminine bow before grasping her hand and kissing it respectfully. On any other character I would have deemed the actions pretentious. If I had not seen the exchange with my own eyes, I would have deemed it condescending, especially because of Cora's patronizing attitude. Yet, the girl exuded a reverence uncanny for her demeanor.

"I'm honored to be included in this council, no matter if temporary or default," she said, grinning.

Bella swept an answering curtsey. "I am honored to have the woman who saved my life serving such a council, especially in such grave times."

Cora's eyebrow twitched curiously, but she smiled and accepted the thank you modestly before returning, sliding her slender figure between Gabriel and me.

"Council," Bella began, "I have completely no idea what had taken hold of me. I can merely say that whatever illness I had contracted, I am now free of.

"But that is not why I called this meeting. Jacob has returned from Bucharest and his meeting with the Romanian government and I am curious to what he has established."

I glanced away, slightly mad that they had sent Jacob - a hotheaded, naïve child - in my place as a diplomat for the Romanian government. The proximity to Alice's anniversary made them edgy about allowing me out of their sight, yet surely they could have found another, more fitting diplomat willing to go to Romania, Demetri for one. Or perhaps one who spoke Romanian - speaking the common language fluently always brought an unnerving sense of respect.

Jake smile grew grave as he unwove himself from Patricia's arms. "Sadly, I barely have news that would make either of us…pleased. Prime Minister Dragomir is…apprehensive about mythical creatures, especially werewolves. As Jasper's sources claimed, there are pack wars erupting in the streets, but at a higher platitude, where innocent humans are being slaughtered. I attempted to figure out why, but none of the wolves trusted me, and when they did speak to me, it was in a garbled language I could not understand." Jacob sent me a sharp glance. "And no, it was not Romanian.

"My promise of protection, as a werewolf myself, offered absolutely no comfort for Dragomir. I…," he frowned, turning towards Bella with a sigh. "I apologize for this," he spread his arms wide, "being a complete flop."

"Mm," I purred loudly, making sure to let displeasure poison the sound. "You've been gone a month and were not able to convince him of changing his mind?"

Jake shook his head, his eyes widening in a puppy-like manner. "They made it clear they want nothing to do with me. Dragomir and his ministers decided that the best tactic is to continue what they have begun - by killing all those with hints of werewolf ancestry. However, they haven't been able to get many." His hint of a smile explained what his voice could not.

"Did you _not_ inform Dragomir that _you_, _you_ ridiculous man, are joint-head of the universal pack and therefore all those young ones _must _obey you? Did you _not_ ask to speak to the Romanian packs at _all_?"

Jake hesitated in a way that made my skin crawl and my hand itch to smack him. "At first I was…hesitant to tell them that I am indeed a wolf. However, eventually he found out and _refused_ to honor anything I said."

"Jake…," Bella began, clucking her tongue.

"And I did tell you how I spoke to the packs. They _ignored me_. I even tried to talk to them in wolf form. I barely got away with my head and tail intact. I swear, there's something in the water in Romania. I have not known one wolf who could defy the law of the alpha without extreme circumstance."

I closed my eyes furiously, a shiver running down my spine as if ice water was dripped down my shirt. My hands clenched - unclenched with the urge to punch the sniveling dog in the face. Jake, as one of my right-hand men, works wonderfully. Alone, he is disastrous. I warned them - _warned_ them, what would occur if they sent him alone to do a man's work, yet they ignored me.

"We've possibly lost all contact with Romania," I hissed through my teeth. I pushed myself out of the sofa and began pacing back and forth, hand shaking with the desire to beat Jacob to a bloody pulp. "_Romania_. The small, impressionable government has _nothing_ to offer us to begin with! They have everything to gain from our guidance and yet you _failed_ to sway their racist beliefs?"

"I tried…."

"Say not another word!" I growled at him, turning towards Bella enraged. "I am leaving this meeting early to request audience with Dragomir."

"Wait one moment," Bella said, face flushing. "Are you forgetting two people?"

I turned on my heel, glaring at Jake, who had his tail between his legs. My eyes were then cast on Cora, who was sitting quietly on the couch, her eyes glazed and her lips parted.

"Don't you think that Jasper is under enough stress?" Esme asked, voice sudden and soothing. "I do understand that Cora is to be his charge, but is it completely necessary that she accompany him on his more formal work? Jasper will be too distracted to actually protect her to begin with. And should she travel and introduce herself to the world?"

"I agree," Rosalie drawled, glaring at the back of Cora's head. Through the anger boiling under my skin I realized with a strange curiosity how Cora was being received inside the council.

"She's apart of the council regardless of whether or not she has a mystical power," Edward argued. "She has to pull her own weight. We all must wake up and realize something; what Cora has isn't temporary. We're to protect her until the end of time. She has a coveted gift - extremely coveted, something no other living soul - besides Bella - has ever claimed to accomplish. As long as we have to protect her, she'll be apart of this council."

"My thoughts exactly," Carlisle said, his eyes sympathetic as he gazed at his wife. "We cannot keep her and Jasper holed up into the castle."

Rosalie frowned. "_Must_ she have accompanied Jasper? Can she not stay here under our protection?"

"Do I not have a choice?" Cora asked, sitting straight. Her face sobered from the starry glaze that had masked it and looked somewhat frustrated. "And must you all speak about me as if I have left the room?"

This sparked anger in Rosalie's eyes. She opened her mouth to fight back, but Bella shot her a glare.

"I think that…we are being unfair," Edward spoke softly, trying to satiate her. "What I had said is true, Cora. You're not here temporarily."

"And so," Bella began in the same soft voice, "we believe you should have a choice in where you go during Jasper's ventures across the world as our ambassador."

"Well…," Cora sighed, shaking her crimson hair from her face. "I am quite taken with Jasper - I trust him. But if he does not desire I follow him I will not."

"I don't care," I snarled, suddenly fed up with the conversational peace that had taken over the council. Taking long, aggravated strides, I slammed the door closed and walked straight to where I knew I would find my secretary twirling her pen between her fingers in that bored fashion I always found insulting.

"Wait," Cora said, heels clacking erratically on the floor as she ran up to meet me. "Look, Jasper. I can't stand it here. It's cabin fever. I need to get out, go back into the world. I don't want to -"

I turned to the girl and noticed that with her heels she stood nose to nose with me. Sighing, I studied the fierce spirit in her eyes. Perhaps she could take Jacob's place as my right-hand. She seemed to enjoy arguing with me - but never compromising. A flaw, I suppose, but better than Jacob.

"Go pack our belongings."

*** **

"Salve, Councilor Jasper," Salvatrice chirped, placing the pen she was spinning gracelessly onto her desk. "E buona sera, signore."

"Mm," I replied, not interested in her greeting. I surveyed the office, loping over to my files. My eyes grazed over less important reports, pleased that between Demetri and Jacob (temporarily), they managed to keep my work somewhat easy.

"Signore Demetri is in your office taking the important calls," she continued, "and writing reports. More importantly, Signore Marcus…."

I didn't pay attention to catch the rest that she said as I disappeared into my office.

The green walls didn't offer calm for the throbbing in my chest - not a heart, however. It was the palpitation of interest, minor excitement urged on with the peace I gained from knowing that my private office was not trashed, nor reports discarded and or forgotten to be completed on my holiday.

Demetri smiled from behind the large expanse of my oak desk, a phone glued to his ear and his hand scribbling feverously on a pad of paper. However, he wasn't the one I wanted a private conference with. The tall, shaded creature glancing out into the city square was the one who made my mind whirl with simplistic thrill.

"To what do I owe your visit, Marcus?" I inquired, closing the door to my office. The man stirred, turning elegantly on his heel to face me. Again, I was impacted by the queerness of his youth. Reverting his ways over the years smoothed his once pasty complexion to a lineless mask. His bright ocher were clouded still, and seemed to evaluate me - to sum up my whole.

"I'll have you know Jasper, that it is _rude_ to speak whilst a person is on the phone," Demetri growled playfully, standing and shaking my hand with respect. "Nice to see you back in the office."

"Mm, sad to see you locked in it. How the hell did you allow Jacob to take over the Romanian affair? I'm quite disappointed."

Demetri flashed me a smile uncanny for his face; it would have been more fitting on an alligator. "I'm not received peacefully in Romania for…," he winked, "personal reasons."

"Do tell me you haven't slept with some poor girl and received her scorn when you broke off any sort of relation with her," I sighed, running a hand through my hair, adding Romania to the list of places I definitely wouldn't want to send Demetri for his "personal reasons". I often wonder why I keep him in my office and am then reminded every time the dog opens his mouth. Demetri's conniving personality counteracts Jacob's simplistic view of politics to something similar to balance.

"I won't tell you then, master," Demetri said cheerfully before slapping me on my back in what could only be his version of an embrace. "Believe me, next trip I'll shove the dog into a closet and go in his stead."

"Too bad the damage has already been done."

Demetri's face grew grave. "So I've heard. Probably slobbered all over that pretty lil' wife Drago keeps holed up in his room and fell into his worst graces."

I gave Demetri a glare. "Is that what you did?"

"Not particularly," Demetri said with a slow grin. "Just trust me; I would not be safe in Romania."

"I'll take your word for it. Is there anything I should know about before you leave me to have audience with my guest?"

Demetri considered it, but understood my desire for him to leave quickly so I may receive Marcus in private. Coolly, he responded, "Everything you need to know is already written in the reports or contained in the laptop. I'll be taking the rest of the day off. Enjoy yourself, Jasper."

"And you," I muttered, shaking his head once more. I waited until I heard the second snap of the door closing and Demetri's retreating footsteps out of my wing before turning to my guest.

"Councilman Demetrious has certainly risen from the ashes of the old Volturi monarchy," Marcus commented, commanding voice subdued yet oddly serious. "I am pleased that he had done so well. The malice that our reign brought seems to have eased from his soul. He will live more pleasantly."

"Demetri is a good soul," I agreed, slightly agitated that he was not getting to the point fast enough. I perched myself on my desk. "I have not seen you in so long."

"Four years," he corrected. "I come here only in prelude to your diplomatic venture into Romania." I didn't question how he already knew - the spy master was notorious for knowing everything that occurred inside the castle walls. "However, I feel uncomfortable speaking to you constricted in this area. I only ask that you delay this journey.

"I am also interested in the young woman you have been rumored to be seen with quite frequently. Cora, I believe my sources call her?"

"Yes, Cora," I assured, quite disappointed that he resurfaced merely out of curiosity for the girl. I recalled the first time Marcus approached me (nine years ago); he had found information from his spy networks that a rebel group had congregated in our castle and managed to sneak into our personal guard. This resulted in the separation of castle from school and a fierce annihilation of said group. Our humble abode was transformed from a simple castle into three buildings in total, connected by underground passage ways (heavily guarded by the most faithful vampires). One is the castle in essence, whilst the other two are for students desiring to better their thirst or knowledge. The conspiracy also toughened the guard and who is allowed to live in Volterra's kingdom, something I pushed for in the beginning of establishing our reign.

"I will come for you in due time," Marcus hummed, placing a hand on my shoulder. His eyes ran through mine, penetrating and assertive. He appraised me once again, but this time his lips twitched with a smile, as if to tell me that I would do for now. His hand retracted and oddly I felt the seriousness in his touch the moment he pulled away.

"I will be waiting," I sighed as Marcus strode out of the room, using his prop-cane to hobble towards the door. He paused, hand on the doorknob.

"Alec will direct you where to find me."

"I'm sure Edward is thrilled you brought Alec back to Volterra."

To my surprise, Marcus laughed his way out of my office, closing it gently behind him.

ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC SHOCK ELECTRIC 

"You look as if you've seen a ghost," Cora remarked when I finally stumbled back into our suite. I had spent the entire evening rolling around what Marcus could probably desire from me while reading article after article of world news, reports that Marcus's spies decided to send me for the more in-depth knowledge they gave me on said articles, letters royal diplomats sent me from various places around the globe, as well as responses from political powers.

"Why are you in my room?" I questioned her sourly, too tired to actually enforce my single rule; respect of personal space. She was lounging on my bed, ankles locked with, what looked like a Spanish magazine, splayed across her lap.

"I had to pack our things, remember?"

I rubbed my eyes, pulling the laptop bag from over my head and placing it besides the nightstand, stooping down and fumbling with the charger. Cora's slim hands slipped down and halted me.

"Relax," she said. "I'll take care of it."

My brain, which had reached its mental capacity for the evening, didn't think twice about her rare act of kindness. Instead, I sat down quietly on the edge of my bed while she plugged in the blasphemous creation.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

I focused my eyes on her face; her claret eyes were sharp, her lips tight like glass. Immediately my mind fell away. Did I need to inform her how the Japanese were attempting to concoct weapons to slaughter our kind? Or the vampire group who called themselves the Incorrupti - the "uncorrupted", who believed that fractions of any kind was a blasphemy? The sirens charged for prostitution that sent shockwaves? The wolves who are acting out in the streets suddenly for some unknown reason? Or more startling, the way humans decided to remedy these situations?

Cora placed her hand on my cheek, turning my face to view hers once again. I wondered when I turned away. "You can count on me."

"Don't touch me," I growled at her, pressing her away. Cora didn't seem insulted in anyway; she merely smiled meekly in response, turning towards her crimson nails. She inspected them with a bored air, in an attempt to be regal. However, there was nothing queenly about her sprawled on the floor in the skirt of her slinky dress and her heels.

"I'm going to guess that you're quite upset about whatever you experienced upon your return at the office," she said, glancing up at me darkly, then looked right back at her nails. "I won't hassle you about it. You'll tell me eventually. Though I do have my qualms. I definitely see no merit in your protection of me if you decide to leave me for hours alone unsupervised. I might have been abducted."

"They wouldn't get far," I assured her. "They'd most likely return you the moment you opened your mouth."

"Haha," she sarcastically responded. "I packed your things, you'd be happy to know. When are we departing?"

"I don't know." The simple words put me back into the same fit of frustration and perplexity I experienced when Marcus walked out of the room.

"How can you _not know_? Is there some sort of formality you must go through?" she inquired, genuinely curious, though she tried to mask it behind aggravation.

"There is formality behind it, but its simplistic," I informed her. "However, I must meet a friend before we leave Volterra for Romania. It might be quite serious. His information might just alter the way we enter negotiations with Dragomir. More importantly, I want to understand the danger before I happily bring you and that stupid puppy Jacob along."

"How gallant of you to consider my safety," Cora muttered. "Though I assumed we would be leaving tonight."

"I'm sure that your meager plans have not been compromised at all."

She huffed, deciding to stand. "We should go hunting then."

"Hunting?" I questioned her, bemused.

"Yes. I haven't been hunting since I came to this forsaken place. All I've had is goblet after goblet of frozen blood, which can satiate, but is nothing like the real thing. So…I believe we should go hunting."

"Mm," I hummed. "That would serve perfectly for my business."

"Business?" she questioned, big claret eyes widening in conspiracy. "Interesting."


End file.
